This invention relates to a baseball training aid, and a method of using it. In particular, the invention includes a batting glove which is used as a diagnostic and training aid for baseball players.
Various types of gloves, and other devices, have been developed for use in grasping a baseball bat. Some of these devices are intended to be used while playing an actual game, while others are used only for purposes of training players. The following is a brief description of several examples of batting gloves and other batting aids of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,557 shows a glove which has a pad overlying the second phalange of the finger. The glove is intended for use by baseball players, and enables a batter to increase the force with which the fingers grip the bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,405 discloses a pair of batting gloves which are used during play, and which are also intended to provide the batter with increased power in hitting the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,975 shows a glove which protects a batter from possible injury due to a pitched ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,251 discloses a training aid and method for baseball players. The patent shows a wristband worn by a batter, the wristband having means for alerting the batter to motions of the wrist, and thus enabling the batter to avoid unwanted motions of the wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,043 discloses a batting accessory which includes a cushioning pad which protects the batter's hands, and which also tends to position the bat near the batter's fingertips.
As is explicitly recognized in some of the above-cited patents, the position of the hands relative to a baseball bat is extremely important. The present invention provides a device which assists a player in achieving the proper positioning of the hands relative to the bat, and trains the player to assume the optimum position consistently and easily.